Other Things I Watched in February

Super 8
Written & Directed by J.J. Abrams

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie. That was, of course, the point as it always is with Abrams works. Let's just say, I really liked it. I recommend this to anyone particularly people who enjoy Abrams other works.

Cyrus
Written & Directed by Jay & Mark Duplass

This movie was, in my opinion, terrible. I napped through the middle of it. My recommendation is to not waste your time unless you've been suffering from a bout of insomnia.

Cowboys and Aliens
Directed by Jon Favreau

I really liked this movie. I was a little surprised by how much I liked it because my initial impression wasn't favorable. I'm not quite sure why I couldn't get behind the concept when I love to watch Ancient Aliens on History.

Revenge

I LOVE this show. It's so amazing. Watch it!

What I'm Looking Forward to Watching

The return of Community is nigh!

Roundup: 2012 Planners

If you haven't noticed, 2012 is literally* just around the corner. If you're like me, it's hard to find the perfect planner, so I found a few functional and cute options from Etsy.

2012 Planner Printable from JudesDesigns

Speech Communication Textbook turned 2012 Planner from Second Edition

Satin Ribbon Woven Planner from Pria Vanda

* There is no way I'll ever be able to use that word without thinking of Rob Lowe on Parks & Rec! (Now for some eye candy and humor.)

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Roundup: Organizers Kids will Love (and Use!)

Keeping things organized in a visually pleasing, easy-to-understand way will help kids stay organized. Here are a few great organizing solutions for kids:

A shared boys closet from iHeart Organizing

In this closet (shared by two boys) Jen at iHeart Organizing put images on bins using her Silhouette so her littlest boy would know where things are.

Playroom lego storage from iHeart Organizing

Once again, Jen had a great idea when she used Ikea's trofast to organize her boys' legos. The boys decided to sort them by color. Jen made the labels with her Silhouette.

A well-styled and well-organized kids closet from HGTV

This closet is beautiful to look at, and I'm sure, to use. The bins at top can hold out of season clothes and hand me downs. The middle bins can hold items you use a bit more often than the clothes above it (diapers, wipes, creams, etc. would work well here). You can achieve this result by buying shelving and brackets from a home improvement store, the four-cube expedit from Ikea with the drawer inserts and bins (here and here). The bright bins on a neutral background make the closet look clean and crisp.  

Keep it Hidden

In this post I talked about how to prepare to not let toys take over your home. Concealed storage is an ideal way to make it seem like your kids' toys haven't overrun the house. It's an easy trick that will work even if you have an animal cracker zoo under the couch.

Here you go:

DIY Storage Ottoman from Soul Style

Large ottomans provide so much function and style to a room. They can be used to prop up your feet, store toys or blankets and serve food in a tray. 

 Small & Colorful Storage Ottomans from Design*Sponge

Not only is this nursery cute and colorful, but with the help of the small storage ottomans, it's also very calm. 

Great Accent Ottomans Under a Console from House of Turquoise

I love this setup for multiple reasons: 1) the ottomans provide storage and extra seating, 2) it's out of the way  and 3) it allows parents of young kids to display items that are out of reach! I also love this color combination. It's so vibrant!

an Ikea Expedit as Window Seat from Ikea Hackers

This Ikea hack (turning an Expedit on its side) is a great use of space. It also, of course, provides great storage underneath with the woven baskets. 

Ikea Expedit with Dresser Drawers from Cape 27

This Expedit uses two dresser double drawers and two dresser single drawers to provide storage as a dresser/changing table. This would be great in the living room to hide away toys and display some pretty, child-friendly pieces. 

Ikea Billy Bookcase with Cabinet Doors from Ikea

Last but not least are the Ikea Billy Bookcases with cabinet doors. A few of these would look great as a built in with decorative pieces and books on top and kids' toys on the bottom. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it provides several options (a little heavy on the ottomans I know). Do you have any other ways to conceal toys in general purpose living spaces?

The Well-Organized Family Room

On Monday I shared my dirty little secret, which wasn't scandalous at all but something I'm a bit embarrassed about. The most commonly used room in the basement that Nick and I are anxiously waiting to use again is our family room. Because we'll need to reorganize Claire's toys when we move back downstairs, I've been researching organized family rooms on Pinterest. Here are my favorites:

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Our family room already has a built-in entertainment center and bar that will really help us organize everything. Because the storage is built in and lined on one wall, this room looks so calm.

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I love the built ins surrounding the fireplace. It really brings purpose to the fireplace and TV, while it provides storage and minimizes the impact of the TV. This is an ideal solution when a TV has to be above a fireplace, but based on the height of the fireplace, this isn't an ideal place for the TV if one has options. It seems as if TV watchers would have kinks in their necks. The combination of open shelving and closed cabinets and drawers make the side functional and beautiful.

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This built-in window seat would be the perfect addition to a family room that could use a bit more seating and storage and a lot more personality.

We don't plan to add or upgrade our family room, but it's always fun looking at inspiration for my dream family room. 





Pantries and More Pantries

I have pantries on my mind right now. My pantry needs a little work to make it more functional. With that need in mind, I searched for some (realistic) pantry inspiration. Below are some great pantries with clever storage tricks.

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This is a beautiful pantry; the type of pantry I'd like to hang out in. The bright color is so cheeful and welcoming and I love, love, LOVE the cake pedastal collection she has on display. The drawers at the bottom provide an ingenious place to store the smaller, not as pretty items. (View more amazing pictures of this pantry here.)

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A cheerful print on the back echoes the colors of the labels and the calendar on the door. Using tall, square-bottomed storage containers for staples makes the items more visible, makes the most of space and provides stackability.

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The rack on the door not only provides a handy-spot for small or frequently used items, but also takes advantage of the dead spot between the door and the shelves.

Hopefully this pantry eye candy has inspired you a little. I definitely have a few ideas for solutions in my pantry. But I have to say, I'm going entirely for function and not for pretty right now.

Do you have any clever pantry storage ideas? I've seen a few others on Pinterest that I might take advantage of.

P.S. I proofed this post several times just to make sure I typed the 'r' in pantry. There may still be a few panties in the post. :)

Amazing Master Closet Inspiration

Today I wanted to share a few jealousy-inducing closets. Not to make you jealous, but to hopefully inspire you to create the master closet of your dreams. While most of us can't afford to have these closets custom-made by an expert, they offer unique storage that could be DIYed.

Here we go...

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This wonderful closet has custom slots for shoes, but the best part of that back wall are the slots for boots. Stored together with walls to lean on, the boots keep their shape. Also, the island in the center appears to have a glass top that could reveal jewelry stored below.

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Having lots of doors and drawers keeps this closet from looking chaotic. I really like the floor-to-ceiling cabinets. They really make the most of the storage space available. The cheap version would be floor-to-ceiling shelves with baskets to hide the contents. The ottoman also looks like a comfy place to plan outfits and put on your shoes.



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Another creative use of an island; this time for shoes. In the background there are also a stack of small drawers. This would be ideal for undergarments. Sorting by type would make finding what you need a breeze.

What features do you find most appealing in inspirational closets? Could you imagine having as many shoes as the women in pictures one and three have? I don't think I could. I hate having things that I don't use. It makes me feel as if I've wasted money.

Roundup: Reimagining Items

Upcycling, reusing, reimagining, whatever you call it, it's a great, inexpensive and green way to customize the storage in your home. I'm not very good at this, but in my efforts to use what I have, I've been looking for inspiration online. As it turns out, there are a lot of people who have great imaginations when it comes to reimagining.

So, without further ado, a roundup of reimagined organizational pieces and links:

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A tea box from an old book that could be used to store any little item 

stylishly--remotes, lotion, fingernail clippers, and so much more!

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For jotting down to do lists or entertaining your kids.

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What a great ribbon organizer! If you don't like the look of the box, 
a wrapping paper or colored contact paper scrap could cover it up. 

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A handy little desk organizing caddy made from PVC pipe. 
This would be a great project if you have PVC leftover from a bathroom remodel. 

Like many people, I'm into a bit of rustic decor, this would be a great coat hanger. 

Have you upcycled, reused or reimagined something? Any tips or ideas to share?

Storage Wish List Roundup

Our house has been a disaster since we brought C home, but it wasn’t much better before she came along. With project after project, we’ve fallen into a rut of waiting until the whole house is finished before organizing other parts. Here are some inspiration items to get my house organized.

Mission Bench

I really like the shape of this bench, but I'd prefer it in black. The bottom provides handy storage for shoes that are worn most frequently. This would work really well under a coat rack by my side door.

Classroom Construction Paper Storage

This would be ideal to put in my office closet for storage. I would probably need several, so I could store paper by color and type. I would also give printable labels and clear 3-ring sheet protectors there own slots. 

Commercial Chrome 5-Shelve Storage Unit

N and I have a lot of stuff in our garage. Well, actually, N has a lot of stuff in his garage. We have some shelves similar to this. It would be handy to line a couple walls with these to store paint, tools, car parts, etc.

River Ridge Kids 2-Piece Storage Bins (Aqua and Orange)

 

In a year or two, N and I plan to convert our guest room into C's and her future sibling's playroom.  The office will welcome the guest bed and serve a dual purpose. I have two of these bookshelves from Walmart in the office that would need to be moved so guests can get to the bed easier. I'd buy several of these bins and place them on about three or four similar bookshelves (repurposing the two from the office). (A little overhang from the bins won’t be a problem.)

I'll probably paint the bookshelves cream to match the trim in the room. Once screwed to the wall for support, they'll make an easy and inexpensive place to store toys. The little rope handles and cut outs look easy for little hands to pull. It would also be easy to attach a laminated label of the bins' contents. The aqua and orange colors are also really appealing to me and could serve as the inspiration for the room.  

Billy Bookcase

The standard Billy Bookcase should be narrow enough to fit around the window in our office. Ideally, the queen guest bed would sit directly under the window flanked with Billy Bookcases. I’d probably paint these cream and trim them out to give them a more custom built-in look. The curtains will help disguise about an inch of empty wall between the bookcase and the window.

Kylie Storage Bench

This leather bench would look great in our master bedroom under the window. It would provide a place to store extra blankets and pillows. Our decorative pillows could also sit on top overnight.

Lastly, I’m on the lookout for an armoire. N currently uses a rickety five-drawer chest in a corner with our TV over the top. Because the TV is attached to the wall, it looks a little too hospital like. I think replacing the dresser with a tall armoire would make it appear less like a hospital. We could also use the top shelves of the armoire to store blankets and pillows, and then we probably wouldn't need the bench.

Do you have any special organization items that work well for you?